Episode #14: Overcoming Trauma #14: Going Home

Jan,20 2026

<-#13: Overcoming Trauma #13 - Another round of golf#15: Overcoming Trauma #15: Changes ->

I clearly had exceeded my limits, but by some miracle of biblical proportions, so did my kids and my husband.

We all had different reasons. Kyle just emptied his batteries. He played almost non-stop and found a new best friend with even more energy than him.

Sarah was more used to one-on-one interactions, and she would hang with Cassie long-term without issues. But add Kyle, Candace, Jimmy, Ginny, Kevin, Madeline, and Patricia (the twins), and she burned out emotionally.

As for my husband, he came for a few hours to face some traumas and got roped into 24 hours of basically insanity, during which he had no more agency than I had.

We were swept away by the events and needed some alone time.

To my surprise, Nadia decided to stay with her family. They made plans to return to the quarry lake, and I think that she had in mind to take a more active role with Cassie now that I gave the inspiration to do so.

She certainly talked a lot more to her daughter after the golf game. And I don't mean just talk; I mean inquire about her plans, about her mood, etc...

Finding our clothes proved a little more complex than anticipated, with some of it in Nadia's car, but soon enough, we were in my husband's car, driving home.

"Anyone feel like ice cream?", he said.

At first, I was mad at him. It meant more delays until the comfort of our home, but once I had my raspberry sundae in his car's AC, I felt relieved.

I had picked what I wanted, and I picked where we would eat. This was an improvement, and honestly, I was away from people I barely knew talking to me as if I were their best friend.

Oh, they are friendly, I'll give it to them. But Kara talks to me like I am her long-lost childhood friend. Girl, I don't know you that much!

And no, it's not because I only ever saw her nude. It's, I don't know.

She is a stay-at-home mom who homeschools her three kids and is a devout Christian Naturist who doesn't watch TV, doesn't go online, and doesn't leave her resort.

She also doesn't ever talk about her relationship with her husband, Frank, so what can I talk to her about?

I understood what Nadia meant. It's like Kara was purely happy to just have naturism, Christianity, and her kids in her life. Which is fine! And she does seem to be happy.

But I need more out of this world, and Kara cannot connect with me on that.

I didn't even pay attention to what my family took from the ice cream parlor. My husband handled it, paying from his wallet, and I felt like I was all alone in the world with my raspberry sundae, which has real raspberries in it.

Ask my family what my favorite fruit is, and they will all tell you that it's raspberries.

But they aren't my favorite.

They are my selfish guilty pleasure. If I bring home blueberries or strawberries, everyone will dig in. If I bring home blackberries, my husband will eat them so fast, I will wonder if I even bought them. Cranberries, I don't like, but my son goes crazy for them. Grapes, well, everyone will eat some, but once Sarah gets into them, it's like no bag is too big.

But raspberries, with their crunchy little seeds? They are mine, and mine alone.

After a weekend of letting others fix my fate, this felt like heaven at the time.

We made it home, and I went into our master bedroom restroom to relieve my bladder, happy to be home, even if it's even warmer than when we left.

When I came back, my kids were nude.

And so was my husband.

No one had asked me.

Not this time.

Something in my chest tightened.

Not because of the nudity.

Because I had just wanted things to stay still.

"Really, guys, 30 hours wasn't enough? I turn my back for a second, and everyone is nude?"

"Mom. I am going to always be nude in the house", says Sarah.

"Well, I know that, but John?"

"Sorry, it's warm; I can go dress up", he says.

"No, that's worse. You made a choice without consulting me; that's the problem."

"Sorry, Mom, it just felt too hot", says Kyle.

I sigh.

"You aren't the problem, Kyle"

"So I am", says John.

I scream in frustration.

John says. "Fine, I'll go put on boxers"

"No, don't you move. Don't you dare move. Did you guys all have fun this weekend?"

Sarah was the first one to say yes. Kyle followed; John was like a deer in headlights"

"Did I ask you guys if you had fun this weekend?"

"Many times", says Sarah. "Yeah, says Kyle"

"You asked me after the golf and the lake"

"Did anyone, and I don't mean just you, anyone, ask me how I felt? I think Nadia did once, early on, but then, I was just pulled from one thing to another. "

"Oh", says John. "Did you have fun this weekend?", he says.

I bow to him. "Yes, I did. Thank you, John. I know we were there for your trauma, so I didn't complain, but like, why was it so transparent to everyone? Like Greg, he works with me!"

John seems to have a revelation. "Oh, so the problem isn't so much us, but everyone else?"

"Ginny babysat our kids. You guys had fun with her, right?"

"She is so cool", says Sarah.

"I had zero real conversations with her."

"Well, the secret path", says Sarah.

"That was with you!"

"Oh, right"

"Honey, what do you want to do now?" says John.

"I want you to keep on going on with what you were about to do and go crawl up in my bed, all dressed, and take a nap. I'll decide what we do after that. Is that all right with everyone?"

"Sure", says Sarah.

"Sure", says John.

I leave for my bedroom, get under the sheets.

I am fuming, but honestly, I am not really sure why.

Did I really want to be asked how I felt or just to be accepted, which I was.

Would questioning me have bothered me or not.

<-#13: Overcoming Trauma #13 - Another round of golf#15: Overcoming Trauma #15: Changes ->